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Ground‐Water Flow and Uranium in Colorado Plateau
Author(s) -
Ortiz N. V.,
Ferentchak J. A.,
Ethridge F. G.,
Granger H. C.,
Sunada D. K.
Publication year - 1980
Publication title -
groundwater
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.84
H-Index - 94
eISSN - 1745-6584
pISSN - 0017-467X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1745-6584.1980.tb03654.x
Subject(s) - precipitation , uranium , geology , plateau (mathematics) , sulfate , groundwater , sedimentary rock , mineralogy , porous medium , uranium ore , layering , deposition (geology) , flow (mathematics) , geochemistry , porosity , geomorphology , materials science , geotechnical engineering , mechanics , meteorology , metallurgy , mathematical analysis , physics , mathematics , botany , sediment , biology
The precipitation of humates at the interface between a humic acid solution and an aluminum potassium sulfate solution was studied in porous media models to gain some insight into the deposition of Colorado Plateau type uranium deposits. The effects of variable flow rates, porous‐media layering, mudstone lenses, fluid density differences, and geochemical reactions on the flow phenomenon and the resulting precipitate were evaluated. A numerical model was developed to predict the shape and location of the interface where precipitation occurs. The numerical model was verified by comparing its predictions with the results obtained from the porous media model. The association of precipitate bands with modeled sedimentary features and the similarities between these precipitate bands and actual deposits in the Colorado Plateau suggest that these model studies provide data useful both in understanding and predicting the relations between tabular ore deposits and ground‐water flow patterns.